The Basics of Display Calculi

The aim of this paper is to introduce and explain display calculi for a variety of logics. We provide a survey of key results concerning such calculi, though we focus mainly on the global cut elimination theorem. Propositional, first-order, and modal display calculi are considered and their properties detailed

Arzneimitteltherapiesicherheit gefördert durch die interprofessionelle Zusammenarbeit von Arzt und Apotheker auf Intensivstationen in Deutschland

Hintergrund Kritisch kranke Patienten sind besonders anfällig für unerwünschte Arzneimittelereignisse. Internationale Studien zeigen, dass pharmazeutische Betreuung die Patienten- und Arzneimitteltherapiesicherheit positiv beeinflusst. National wird die Integration von Apothekern in das multidisziplinäre Team und eine Teilnahme an Visiten gefordert. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, Art und Umfang der pharmazeutischen Betreuung in der Intensivmedizin in Deutschland zu erheben. Methode In einer Literatur- und Datenbankrecherche wurden 13 relevante pharmazeutische Tätigkeiten identifiziert. Darauf aufbauend wurde von einem Expertengremium ein Onlinesurvey mit 27 Fragen zur Implementierung der pharmazeutischen Betreuung auf Intensivstationen erstellt. Die Umfrage wurde an Leiter deutscher Intensivstationen versandt. Ergebnisse Eine regelmäßige pharmazeutische Betreuung ist bei 35,3 % (59/167) der Intensivstationen etabliert. Arzneimittelinformation (89,7 % [52/58]), pharmazeutische Interventionen mit Therapieumstellung (z. B. in der Visite; 67,2 % [39/58]), regelmäßige Evaluation der Verordnung (Medikationsanalyse; 65,5 % [38/58]) sowie die Überwachung der Medikation (hinsichtlich von Nebenwirkungen, Effektivität und Kosten; 63,8 % [37/58]) zählen zu den meistgenannten Tätigkeiten. Die Teilnehmer mit pharmazeutischer Betreuung (58/168) stufen 7 von 13 Tätigkeiten als „essenziell/unverzichtbar“ ein, wohingegen es nur zwei bei den Teilnehmern ohne pharmazeutische Betreuung (104/168) sind. Schlussfolgerung Nur wenige Intensivstationen in Deutschland haben den Stationsapotheker bereits in das multidisziplinäre Team integriert. Ist ein pharmazeutischer Service etabliert, wird mehreren pharmazeutischen Tätigkeitsfeldern eine höhere Gewichtung/Bedeutung zugeschrieben

A Multi-Center Randomized Trial to Assess the Efficacy of Gatifloxacin versus Ciprofloxacin for the Treatment of Shigellosis in Vietnamese Children

The bacterial genus Shigella is the most common cause of dysentery (diarrhea containing blood and/or mucus) and the disease is common in developing countries with limitations in sanitation. Children are most at risk of infection and frequently require hospitalization and antimicrobial therapy. The WHO currently recommends the fluoroquinolone, ciprofloxacin, for the treatment of childhood Shigella infections. In recent years there has been a sharp increase in the number of organisms that exhibit resistance to nalidixic acid (an antimicrobial related to ciprofloxacin), corresponding with reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. We hypothesized that infections with Shigella strains that demonstrate resistance to nalidixic acid may prevent effective treatment with ciprofloxacin. We performed a randomized controlled trial to compare 3 day ciprofloxacin therapy with 3 days of gatifloxacin, a newer generation fluoroquinolone with greater activity than ciprofloxacin. We measured treatment failure and time to the cessation of individual disease symptoms in 249 children with dysentery treated with gatifloxacin and 245 treated with ciprofloxacin. We could identify no significant differences in treatment failure between the two groups or in time to the cessation of individual symptoms. We conclude that, in Vietnam, ciprofloxacin and gatifloxacin are similarly effective for the treatment of acute dysentery

Brain area-specific effect of TGF-beta signaling on Wnt-dependent neural stem cell expansion

Regulating the choice between neural stem cell maintenance versus differentiation determines growth and size of the developing brain. Here we identify TGF-beta signaling as a crucial factor controlling these processes. At early developmental stages, TGF-beta signal activity is localized close to the ventricular surface of the neuroepithelium. In the midbrain, but not in the forebrain, Tgfbr2 ablation results in ectopic expression of Wnt1/beta-catenin and FGF8, activation of Wnt target genes, and increased proliferation and horizontal expansion of neuroepithelial cells due to shortened cell-cycle length and decreased cell-cycle exit. Consistent with this phenotype, self-renewal of mutant neuroepithelial stem cells is enhanced in the presence of FGF and requires Wnt signaling. Moreover, TGF-beta signal activation counteracts Wnt-induced proliferation of midbrain neuroepithelial cells. Thus, TGF-beta signaling controls the size of a specific brain area, the dorsal midbrain, by antagonizing canonical Wnt signaling and negatively regulating self-renewal of neuroepithelial stem cells

Transgenic mice with ocular overexpression of an adrenomedullin receptor reflect human acute angle-closure glaucoma

Glaucoma, frequently associated with high IOP (intra-ocular pressure), is a leading cause of blindness, characterized by a loss of retinal ganglion cells and the corresponding optic nerve fibres. In the present study, acutely and transiently elevated IOP, characteristic of acute angle-closure glaucoma in humans, was observed in CLR (calcitonin receptor-like receptor) transgenic mice between 1 and 3 months of age. Expression of CLR under the control of a smooth muscle alpha-actin promoter in these mice augmented signalling of the smooth-muscle-relaxing peptide adrenomedullin in the pupillary sphincter muscle and resulted in pupillary palsy. Elevated IOP was prevented in CLR transgenic mice when mated with hemizygote adrenomedullin-deficient mice with up to 50% lower plasma and organ adrenomedullin concentrations. This indicates that endogenous adrenomedullin of iris ciliary body origin causes pupillary palsy and angle closure in CLR transgenic mice overexpressing adrenomedullin receptors in the pupillary sphincter muscle. In human eyes, immunoreactive adrenomedullin has also been detected in the ciliary body. Furthermore, the CLR and RAMP2 (receptor-activity-modifying protein 2), constituting adrenomedullin receptor heterodimers, were identified in the human pupillary sphincter muscle. Thus, in humans, defective regulation of adrenomedullin action in the pupillary sphincter muscle, provoked in the present study in CLR transgenic mice, may cause acute and chronic atony and, thereby, contribute to the development of angle-closure glaucoma. The CLR transgenic mice used in the present study provide a model for acute angle-closure glaucoma